H3LC Tourism Company Our purpose is to bring knowledge about some historical places in Thai Nguyen City for readers. Phu Lien Pagoda and Doi Can Temple are very impressive to us at the first sign. Although there are many difficulties in working process, our staffs always unite, resolve all problems together and support to others.... As our motto is We bring the world to your eyes, we hope that you totally enjoy our service. Thank you so much! Detail contact: Headquarter of H3LC Tourism Company: Z115 Street, Quyet Thang Commune, Thai Nguyen City Phone number: (0280) 3345 879 Fax: (0280) 3734 889 Email: H3LC_info @gmail.com Website: http://h3lctourismcompany.weebly.com/ Hiding from your prying eyes
Contents Acknowledgements PHU LIEN PAGODA DOI CAN TRAVEL Introduction 3 Map 4 History 6 Tam Bao House 8 Ancestral House 12 Dien Mau House 16 First and foremost, we would like to thank our supervisor of this Project, Mr. Phung Huy for the valuable guidance and advise. He inspired us greatly to work in this project. We also would like to thank his for showing us some examples that related to the topic of our project Besides, we would like to thank the staffs and monks of the pagoda, especially to Dai Duc Thich Nguyen Thanh- the leader of the pagoda and Mr. Hien Mac Chat- a famous poet for providing us worthy information to complete this project. Tearoom 18 Living room 19 The garden of The Guidebook is published by H3LC tourism Company. Instructor : Mr. Phung Huy Ancient Editors : Dang Thi Hien Towers 20 Tran Thi Kim Lien The Calligraphy Writer : Le Thi Chi Book 21 Festival & Food 24 Doi Can Temple 27 Designer : Nguyen Thi Hang Photographer: Pham Thi Huong
Welcome to Doi Can Temple Welcome to Phu Lien Pagoda The temple is situated on the historic Doi Can hill in Thai Nguyen city center, belonged to of Phu Lien, Hoang Van Thu Ward, Thai Nguyen City,Thai Nguyen people built up to worship Doi Can who was the leader of Thai Nguyen people s uprising and his militarism before the August Revolution In 1945. During the war against the French, the temple was mostly flattened.in 2002; it was rebuilt by local people and Thai Nguyen People s Committee. Today, the building of the heroic martyrs of the Thai Nguyen is a stately modern architecture in Doi Can temple. It has now become a tourist attraction in Thai Nguyen City. Doi Can s real name istrinh Van Dat (1881-1919), was born in Vinh Tuong district, Vinh Yen, Vinh Phuc province now. He was the leader of Thai Nguyen soldiers uprising to against the French. The Vestige associated with Thai Nguyen uprising in 1917 was ranked historic national level in 1997. Among the temples and pagodas in Thai Nguyen City, Phu Lien pagoda is considered one of the most magnificent pagodas retaining intact the ancient architecture. The pagoda is now located in Hoang Van Thu Ward, Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen Province. It contributes to the cultural and spiritual space development, improves spiritual culture for everyone. Its structure symbolizes the human desire to bridge the gap between the constraints of earthly existence and the perfection of heavenly forces. 26 3
Map Vegetarian Food. The vegetarians give up meal daily with wired high tray, flesh and fish and eat food made from vegetables and fruits to make delicious and strange. Eating slowly, chewing thoroughly in a spacious quiet space also gives a relaxed feeling rarely in real life. Bat che do den is a symbol of love and hospitality of the monks in the temple for Buddhists. The taste was good impression of how the temple will be remaining in mind, the tourist ll miss forever when saying goodbye to return to the chaos of life. Tofu is a widely-enjoyed food made from soybeans, and it is a great example of how a simple food like soybeans can be woven into human food traditions in a way that is natural, inexpensive, and nourishing. 4 25
A Unique Festival Phu Lien Doi Can Destination Phu Lien Pagoda is the spiritual culture, is a gathering place for Buddhists and people of the country to visit and pray good things for themselves and for the nation. Therefore, every year on the 12th lunar month, thousands of monks, Buddhists and local people in the country come back to the pagoda and worship their ancestors and their dears. At the Festival, after incense, sacrificial activities, there will be cultural activities, sports imbuing with national spirit such as lion dancing, Calligraphy art writing, chess, tugging Especially, there is a Vegetarian Cuisine contest among 32 groups of local inhabitants at Hoang Van Thu Ward. 24 5
A Beautiful Poem about Phu Lien Phu Lien Pagoda Heroic History Previously, the pagoda was built on Doi Ca hill which now belongs to the area of Thai Nguyen Museum of Cultures of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups. After the French invasion and pacification in Thai Nguyen province, they required local people to move the Pagoda to a new place which is about 3 km far from ThaiNguyen center. The pre-eminent thing in the pagaoda is four golden words Linh Son Phuc Dia in a monumental overhaul file meaning sacred mountain and fresh land. In the past, the Pagoda was a shelter of some of Hoang Hoa Tham s and Luong Ngoc Quyen s militarism. In 1946, it was placed a ballot box election of the National Assembly of Vietnam's first Democratic Republic. In 1947, Ty Liem Phong (Department of Public Security) worked right on here. Many poems were written about the pagoda and among them, Kieu Vang Phu Lien is the most outstanding poem, written by Hien Mac Chat poet. Mặn mà đất Thái tình quê Kiệu Vàng Phù Liễn hiện về đón ai? Đấng Phật linh, bậc hiền tài Cùng muôn Phật tử, vọng đài hoa sen Phu Lien pagoda is located in the high hill which is higher than its surroundings.the pagoda is a sacred spot which local people express their gratitude to ancestors, Buddha and hope good things for their dears. Phu means float, Liêñ means the golden palanquin. Phu Liêñ means the golden palanquin floating on the ground surrounded by the old trees. As regards to the legend, 'Kieu Vang' stands in front of the gate to welcome the Buddhists, the talented people and monks coming back the sacred ground to pray happiness, cultivate themselves and their merit. 6 23
The Famous Buddhist Statues Shakyamuni Buddha often reveals one shoulder and right arm a both wrapped tight shoulder. Buddha used the meaning of the lotus to symbolize the austerities. Besides, the linder is also associated with Shakyamuni Buddha. It has sacred meaning for Buddhists all over the world because it closely linked with the practice of hard training and enlightenment of Buddha. The Guan Yin means to observe, listen to the cries of beings in the world for timely help them from suffering. She holds a bottle of nectar on her left hand and willow twigs on the right hand. Soft and endurable willow twigs are so hard to break, though they follow the wind direction.thus, willow branches symbolize virtue of patience. The Shakyamuni Budda Statue The Guan Yin Statue Exactly 6 years later, People s Committee of Thai Nguyen held a memorial ceremony to Sir.Stalin. However, it was mostly destroyed during the fighting against the French invasion, only remain the Ancestral House and a part of Dien Mau House. Over years, the pagoda has been renovated for several times, especially the major renovations in 1975, 1996 which recovered the old structure including 4 main Houses: Tam Bao House, Ancestral House, Dien Mau House and the Garden of Ancient Towers. Since 2007, the pagoda has been the headquarter of Thai Nguyen Buddhism under the approval of Thai Nguyen People s Committee. In 2009, all of local people and organizations donated money to rebuild the ancestral house with the budget of 2 billion Vnd. Nowadays, it is a spiritual culture spot for Buddhists and people coming from different areas in Vietnam. They come there to pray good things for themselves and the nation. 22 7
Tam Bao House The Calligraphy Book Exactly in January 8 th, 2014, Phu Lien Pagoda was awarded the biggest Calligraphy book of On-Nghia- Sinh-Thanh in Vietnam by Vietnam Records Organization. A Unique sightseeing am Bảo house is called the main hall or the main part of Phu Lien pagoda. Its Tgeneral architecture is very unique with a tidy, closed and vivid lay-out and is a model of blending different materials such as brick, wood and stone... and the harmony between the architecture in Phu Lien pagoda and the surrounding natural environment. Entering the main door, the most impressive thing is the arrangement of the statues from the highest positions to the lowest positions. There are three Buddha statues with different postures at the top. The 2 nd highest position is the Amitabha Buddha, flanked by Guan Yin and Dai Thien Chi. The third floor from the top is the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and Repent Kassapa in both sides. The Calligraphy book includes 100 poems and folk songs expressing the parent s merit and gratitude for them. It is written beautifully with the Calligraphy font. It has a large size with 108 cm length, 60cm width and 18cm thick, including 55 inside pages and 2 covers. This book weighs of 51 kilograms. The book is really hailed as a masterpiece here. 8 21
Lying on the right side of the entrance, the garden of ancient towers has three main tombs which are arranged from low to high position. It is a sacred place to worship of monks, Buddhist of the pagoda passing away a long time ago. Many trees and flowers are planted around the ground to make the atmosphere fresher. It is one of four major areas to create Phu Lien s beauty and solemn purification.therefore, entering to Phu Lien pagoda main gate; you can easily enjoy the scenery in the garden. The next is revealed the thousand-armed and thousand-eyed Arakilotesvara. The bottom floor is displayed Cuu Long deputy statues. There are a lot of statues including the evil Giant, the monsignor on the right as well as a sage and the kind Giant on the left. Ten statues of Thap Dien Diem Vuong (also known as 10 Kings reigned in the past) are set in the main hall. 20 9
Tam Bao House Worshiping items such as incense burner, ornamental jar, bell, lacquered painting, and wooden panel pairs are all ancient and artificially valuable. The bronze bells weighing approximately 2 tons are hanged at the house heart together with roof set load create a gravity pulling joints bonding to each other to form a steady status. It is rung at 5 PM every day. Owing to balancing proportions among storey, proper distance between yard-house and roof layer, the bell demonstrates its beauty at any vision corner. Living room The large living room is opposite to the tearoom. Like the tearoom, the living room also is designed subtly. There are many meaningful words around the living room. When everyone feel tired and depressed with their life, come here and relax. It will dispel the sadness and make you more optimistic. Scenery combining with the quiet of the pagoda certainly makes you forget all the troubles of life. 10 19
Tam Bao House Smiling Buddha. Tea Room The tearoom is designed with luxury and cozy form; it brings peaceful feeling to tourists when coming here. All of the furnitures are made from nice worthy wood which makes the tearoom classical. In this place; tourists can enjoy the delicious taste of Thai Nguyen tea. Besides it s also a place for monks to discuss about Buddism. Mr.Hien Mac Chat who is a famous poet in Thai Nguyen, wrote many poems about Phu Lien pagoda and most of the poems that he wrote basing on the architecture space and the taste of green tea. S miling Buddha (Maiteya) is the ultimate symbol of happiness in Feng Shui. Basing on a legend, the greatest joy of this Bodhisattva is to dispel sadness, anger, stress or pressure of a happy man. It is believed that introspective smile of Maitreya is so strong; that it always shines on gentle face and where the Buddha come will be happy. Maitreya is also considered a symbol of harmony, joy carefree. Rubbing Buddha's belly is to bring good luck and good things.maitreya symbolizes prosperity, is often associated with wealth symbols such as coins, gold ingots and a bag supposedly containing lots of treasures. Sometimes, the Buddha also holds an ornamental gourd as the symbol of health and longevity or a mace as the symbol of power. 18 11
Ancestral House he ancestral house is one of four main Tbuildings related to the architectural space Phu Lien pagoda. It consists of three floors. The first floor is a sacred place to worship Tran Nhan Tong King. The statue of Tran Nhan Tong King is placed in the middle of this floor with two puzzles written in Kanji forward. The most important internal meetings are often held here. There are two different situations that distinguish nuns on the right and monks on the left. Su To Dat Ma is worshiped in the center of second floor of chapel and brings Feng Shui meaning.the ancients were the leaders of the temple, were transmitted from are generation to another. Their lives were closed with the pagoda. The house is designed typically to bring chastity sense for everyone when coming here. of Throughout history, the belief worshipping Mothers developed to three residences (Thien residence, Nhac residence and Thoai residence). The first goddess is the holy mother of sky reigning all over the sky. She makes clouds, rains, thunder and lightning related to rice farming culture. Another goddess is the holy mother of forests. She controls all forest areas and is close - knit with human, plants and animals. The last goddess is the holy mother of water. She rules the field of rivers and associates with marine life and the Vietnamese in the ancient time. The Mother s Shrine has many holies and gods coming together and they are under the control of three holy mothers. 'Lieu Hanh' holy mother is not only much more powerful than other but also considered as an incarnation of the holy mother of sky. 12 17
Dien Mau House With the religious beliefs of the Vietnamese, most of temples and pagodas have a house that worships three holy mothers. In Phu Lien pagoda, there is a worshipping holy mother place on the right of the Ancestral House, which is also called Dien Mau House. Mother is a sweet stream Mother is a fairy song. With a clear hierarchy in mother s shrine, the holy mother of sky ( Thuong Thien Holy Mother) wears a red dress, the holy mother of forest ( Thuong Ngan Holy Mother) wears a blue one and the last holy mother of water ( De Tam Holy Mother) wears a white dress. The two stairs are designed impressively with meaningful dragon motifs. The most special motifs are two staircases going up the second floor of the ancient house, all of stair handrails are sculpted in the shape of a dragon. Dragon is one of the sacred animals. Meaning of this sacred animal is the intellect, religious belief, ideal, aspiration, strength. The dragon is the symbol for not only ethnic origin breeds Vietnam but also the spirit, the source of water bringing vitality and making lush crops. Dragon is also a symbol of strength, so that the Kings took dragons representing imperial power. 16 13
The stone scroll Therefore, Buddhism uses this meaning of lotus flower to symbolize the spiritual religious. here is a scroll in front of the chapel, carved Tdragon motifs again to affirm the scared, trust, and stability of the pagoda. It comes from the requirements of Feng Shui, which has a principal function to increase the sustainability of the soil and prevent homeowners from the bad air and the disadvantages. Over the years, it added a function of art decoration and became an indispensable factor in traditional architecture of the pagoda. Apart from the dragon statue, the scroll was carved with the image of the lotus flower. According to Theravada Buddhism s principles, the lotus often derives from mud and grows in ponds and lakes. Despite of the mud environment, its flowers is very fragrant and beautiful. Buddhism often takes a lotus as Buddhist station to symbolize the spirit of the 5 basic things: immaculate property, purifying properties, properties of modest scent, purity, and patience. Thoughout its heroic history, the pagoda becomes a solemn and quiet cultural space of the Northern Religion. 14 15